5. For how many years have you been professionally involved with maps?

Response Percent

Response Total

0 to 4

50%

3

5 to 9

16.7%

1

10 to 19

33.3%

2

20 to 29

0%

0

More than 30

0%

0

-------------

0%

0

Not applicable

0%

0

Total Respondents

6

(filtered out)

316

(skipped this question)

1

6. In general, how do you rate the design of maps made today?

Response Percent

Response Total

Very bad

0%

0

Bad

0%

0

Adequate

40%

2

Good

60%

3

Very Good

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

288

(skipped this question)

30

7. Compared to manual maps made twenty or thirty years ago, how do you rate the design of digital maps today?

Response Percent

Response Total

Much worse

0%

0

Worse

20%

1

About the same

40%

2

Better

40%

2

Much better

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

287

(skipped this question)

31

8. Do you think map design will generally get worse or better in the next 10 to 20 years?

Response Percent

Response Total

Get worse

20%

1

Stay the same

0%

0

Get better

80%

4

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

287

(skipped this question)

31

9. For much of the twentieth century, maps designed in North America and Europe often looked different from each other. Is this still the case today?

Response Percent

Response Total

Yes

20%

1

Yes, but not so much

80%

4

No

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

270

(skipped this question)

48

10. According to a popular definition, cartography is a discipline that combines art and science. Looking broadly at the profession today, how would you rate this balance?

Response Percent

Response Total

Entirely art

0%

0

More art

20%

1

Equal art and science

20%

1

More science

60%

3

Entirely science

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

287

(skipped this question)

31

11. In your experience, how unusual is it for a cartographer to have both design and technical ability?

Response Percent

Response Total

Very rare

20%

1

Rare

20%

1

Sometimes

40%

2

Common

20%

1

Very common

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

286

(skipped this question)

32

12. Nature vs. nurture: both natural aptitude and education are factors determining whether a person is good at map design. Which do you consider most important?

Response Percent

Response Total

Entirely aptitude

0%

0

More aptitude

40%

2

Equal aptitude and education

40%

2

More education

20%

1

Entirely education

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

288

(skipped this question)

30

13. If you HAD to hire someone to design custom maps for a magazine like National Geographic and the choice was between a GIS specialist with no graphical experience and a graphic designer with no GIS experience, whom would you choose?

Response Percent

Response Total

GIS specialist

40%

2

Graphic designer

60%

3

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

286

(skipped this question)

32

14. Is map design a mature field with little room for innovation or do new design techniques still await discovery? Rate the likelihood for future map design innovation:

Response Percent

Response Total

Very unlikely

0%

0

Unlikely

0%

0

Likely

60%

3

Very likely

40%

2

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

288

(skipped this question)

30

15. Do you make maps?

Response Percent

Response Total

Yes

100%

5

No

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

288

(skipped this question)

30

16. How do you rate yourself as a map designer?

Response Percent

Response Total

Bad

0%

0

Not so good

20%

1

Average

40%

2

Pretty good

40%

2

Excellent

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

246

(skipped this question)

72

17. What has influenced your development as a map designer?

Not important

Somewhat important

Important

Response Average

Cartography classes

0% (0)

20% (1)

80% (4)

2.80

GIS classes

0% (0)

80% (4)

20% (1)

2.20

Art/Design classes

0% (0)

40% (2)

60% (3)

2.60

Self taught

0% (0)

20% (1)

80% (4)

2.80

Internship/apprenticeship

0% (0)

20% (1)

80% (4)

2.80

A mentor

0% (0)

0% (0)

100% (5)

3.00

Work experience

0% (0)

0% (0)

100% (5)

3.00

Professional outreach (conferences, online forums, etc.)

0% (0)

80% (4)

20% (1)

2.20

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

264

(skipped this question)

54

18. Do you seek advice from others when designing maps?

Response Percent

Response Total

Never

0%

0

Not often

0%

0

Sometimes

40%

2

Very often

0%

0

Always

60%

3

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

264

(skipped this question)

54

19. Have you ever submitted a map to a design contest?

Response Percent

Response Total

No

80%

4

Yes

0%

0

Yes, and won an award

20%

1

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

262

(skipped this question)

56

20. Looking beyond maps, how do you rate your ability in the broader field of graphic design?

Response Percent

Response Total

Bad

0%

0

Not so good

0%

0

Average

80%

4

Pretty good

20%

1

Excellent

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

264

(skipped this question)

54

21. When making a map, how closely does your initial concept (minds-eye view) match the final design?

Response Percent

Response Total

Never

0%

0

Not often

0%

0

Sometimes

0%

0

Very often

100%

5

Always

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

261

(skipped this question)

57

22. On a typical map project, about what percentage of the total project time do you devote to map design?

Response Percent

Response Total

Little or none

0%

0

5 percent

20%

1

10 percent

0%

0

20 percent

20%

1

30 percent

20%

1

40 percent

0%

0

50 percent

20%

1

60 percent

0%

0

70 percent

0%

0

80 percent

0%

0

90 percent

20%

1

100 percent

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

261

(skipped this question)

57

23. When making a map, to what extent do you integrate design with other mapping tasks such as research, compilation, and production?

Response Percent

Response Total

Completely integrated

20%

1

Mostly integrated

40%

2

Sometimes integrated, sometimes separate

40%

2

Mostly separate

0%

0

Completely separate

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

262

(skipped this question)

56

24. Looking at one of your typical map projects from start to finish, when does most design effort occur?

Response Percent

Response Total

Beginning

0%

0

Middle

0%

0

End

0%

0

Beginning and end

80%

4

Throughout the project

20%

1

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

261

(skipped this question)

57

25. Of the maps you make, how many are custom designed versus made to already existing design standards or from default software settings?

Response Percent

Response Total

Entirely custom

0%

0

Mostly custom

20%

1

Both custom and standardized

80%

4

Mostly standardized

0%

0

Entirely standardized

0%

0

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

263

(skipped this question)

55

26. Does software influence map design?

Response Percent

Response Total

Not often

0%

0

Sometimes

80%

4

Very much

20%

1

Total Respondents

5

(filtered out)

263

(skipped this question)

55

27. Not every map can be a design masterpiece. What factors LIMIT the quality of maps you design?